Tips for an Awesome Infographic Design [Guest Blog]

Content created specifically for the internet is more important now than it ever has been. There’s also considerably more content created for the internet that you’ll have to compete with in order to get the attention of the average user.

Infographics are just one of the most effective ways to convey your message and information to internet users; however, you need to make sure your infographics are designed in the right way in order for them to work correctly.

One thing many designers miss when putting infographics together is that they need to be informative and visually interesting, but not overwhelming. Making your infographics overwhelming, even if they are highly informative, will make average internet users navigate away.

Follow these basics tips to ensure that the infographics you create are informative, but not overwhelming.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Use Graphics to Display Important Information

Using graphics to display important information is the whole point of making an infographic, right? While it might seem obvious, it’s a common mistake to try to put a lot of information in a single infographic with simple statistics or words.

For example, if you’re creating an infographic about Facebook users, the amount of people who use Facebook in the United States versus the amount of people who don’t have an account is better represented in a bar graph or pie chart than in plain text. While plain text is easy to understand, it doesn’t have the same impact as a visual representation of the same information.

Sticking with the Facebook example, if you need to include another statistic within your infographic, it’s a good idea to use a different type of visual representation. If you chose a bar graph for the first stat, make a pie chart for the second.

Facts that you want to include but aren’t of the utmost importance can be represented with plain text; however, you want to keep the amount of plain text in your infographics to a minimum. That means you shouldn’t put more than one or two plain text statistics in an infographic with several visual representations, like pie charts and bar graphs.

It’s just too much information for readers to grasp at a glance, which is really what you’re trying to achieve by creating an infographic in the first place.

Don’t Rely on Typography

Typography can help sell an idea and make a few basic words that the reader needs to see stand out, but many designers of infographics tend to rely too heavily on typography to get their message across. The truth is that you really don’t even want that much text on your infographic. Keep in mind that visual representations of statistics are much more beneficial and easier for readers to understand.

If you do use typography within an infographic, avoid using no more than two different fonts. Using more than two fonts is just distracting to the reader, making your easy-to-read infographic seem jumbled and unorganized.

Image Courtesy of Flickr

Creating quality infographics that help you connect with internet users doesn’t have to be difficult. They can really help get your message across quickly and efficiently; however, you need to make sure your infographics are clear and not confusing.

The next time you create an infographic, try to focus on the two tips above. Use graphic information, don’t overuse text and don’t rely on text tricks to get your point across.To really measure business performance, you’ll want to use other analytics tools in addition to creating an excellent inforgraphic.

You’ll likely see an improvement in how effective your infographics are if you follow those simple tips.

Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer and online marketing professional from Los Angeles. Specializing in social media marketing and content development, she knows the importance of quality visual graphics for the success of any website or online brand.

Ching is the Chief Email Officer and dedicates her time to find growth hacking ninja ways. Former P&G and Experimental Psychologist, Ching’s addiction includes supporting new projects on Kickstarter and travelling.